Understand
occupant ing
behav
and the un iour
iq
requiremen ue
different se ts of
of a buildin gments
g
serve to op will
performanctimise
e

Occupancy patterns
Understanding and optimising a buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
occupancy patterns can often lead to solutions that will save energy and improve thermal comfort. For example, a single university
building may include offices, computer rooms,
libraries and lecture rooms. Lecture rooms and
offices are predominantly used in the daytime,
hence they should be situated to take full advantage of natural light and passive heat gains.
Computer rooms and libraries are occupied
from morning to late at night, therefore the focus should be on optimising artificial lighting
and reducing cooling needs (due to higher heat
loads from people and computers).
A smartly oriented building can minimise energy usage. Therefore, it is important to understand occupant behaviour and the requirements of different segments of a building in
order to optimise building performance.

IARU - Green Guide for Universities – pathways towards sustainability

Green Guide for Universities – IARU pathways towards sustainability developed by 10 leading international universities and the think-tank Sustainia. Targets key issues to address, recommendations and lessons learned when making universities more sustainable. Learn from 23 inspiring real-life cases that have made a difference.